"Then help me upgrade once."
"Upgrading the Main Hall requires spending 50,000 Gold Coins. Currently, the host does not have enough Gold Coins for the upgrade."
"50,000 Gold Coins? Isn’t that too expensive?"
"The Main Hall represents a sect’s facade and is the most revered place; naturally, the upgrade would be more expensive."
"Forget it. I won’t upgrade the Main Hall. I’ll find another building to upgrade."
There aren’t many buildings left on Yunlan Mountain that can be upgraded, and upgrading some insignificant places is pointless. For instance, some side halls, as the Immortal Sect has too few members to use them.
In the end, Wen Ping felt the only thing the Immortal Sect lacked now was a place to temper oneself, given they already had increased cultivation speed and Vein Technique.
Previously, Churao Mountain was the Trial Mountain of the Immortal Sect. Upgrading the Trial Ground might be a good idea.
"System, how much Gold Coins does it cost to upgrade the Trial Ground on Churao Mountain?"
The map cursor landed on a relatively low peak to the left of Yunlan Mountain.
"The upgrade requires 10,000 Gold Coins."
"Alright, help me upgrade once."
After paying the 10,000 Gold Coins, messages about the system’s upgrade followed one after another.
[Remaining time for Trial Ground upgrade: 30 hours.]
[Special Ability obtained: Battle Realm.]
"Let me educate the host on knowledge accessible only at the Profound Realm. The first Meridian Gate is called Earth Break, located at our left wrist. When it’s opened with Qi, a Meridian Gate appears outside the left wrist."
"I know this. What’s it got to do with the Battle Realm?"
"The primary difference between the Profound Realm cultivators and Body Refining Cultivators is that one stores Qi for battle, while the other uses Qi for battle, without worrying about depleting Qi. Because the world’s pulse frequency and the frequency of the Meridian Gate’s vibration synchronize, Qi continuously gathers at the Meridian Gate, forming Vein Qi."
"But besides the realm, there’s also a space called the Realm. Its pulse frequency is completely different from that of a stable world. If the pulse frequency of the world you’re standing in is a straight line, then the realm’s pulse frequency is a curve. Consequently, everything in the realm is distorted and can’t provide limitless Vein Qi to the Profound Realm. For instance, the Battle Realm born from the Trial Ground, though not a world, constructs a peculiar distortion ability with its pulse frequency. Once you enter the Battle Realm, a stronger version of yourself emerges, one who knows you better, can instantly identify your weaknesses, and challenge your habits."
"It lets you see your greatest enemy, the one who knows you best—yourself! Cultivating within it, your weaknesses, habits, and vulnerabilities can be tempered like never before. If you can overcome yourself, being invincible in the same realm becomes commonplace, defeating opponents across realms becomes a simple matter. Battle is not about strength or some other factor in the same realm, but about mindset."
"Yes, a mindset void of waves to avoid making mistakes. Even one mistake, and the enemy’s sword pierces your heart, ending the battle. Training in the Battle Realm, facing your greatest enemy, mistakes happen every moment. Over time, while chipping away at your weaknesses, you can forge an unflappable mindset, rendering yourself devoid of weaknesses."
"Understood. The ability of the Battle Realm lies in overcoming oneself, eliminating weaknesses, and strengthening mindset."
Wen Ping estimated that if these three could be completed, being invincible in the same realm would surely not be a problem.
If you can defeat the person who knows you best, how could you be bested by an enemy who doesn’t know what to throw at you?
Knowing oneself, one could be undefeated for a hundred battles.
Since last night, a somber mood enveloped the Kao Shan Sect from top to bottom, but which Elder had passed remained unknown, as the sect’s higher-ups seemed to suppress the spread of this news.
Ironically, the entire Kao Shan Sect was in mourning for an Elder whose name they didn’t even know. It was more ironic and ridiculous than the sudden passing of a great physicist, as most of those praying for him didn’t even know what he had accomplished.
Yet, they still prayed, as if they knew him well, perhaps feeling that if everyone around them prayed and they didn’t, they would stand out, be isolated, or be looked down upon.
Their own family members never saw them so saddened.
Hua Liao, the current Law Enforcement Elder of Kao Shan Sect, hadn’t closed his eyes since last night. Of course, he wasn’t blind. His grayed hair seemed to age even more after a night of vigil.
The Sect Leader mandated discovering the reason within three days, but after circling Cangwu City last night, he was at a loss.
Thirteen people were apprehended who claimed to have seen Yang Hua yesterday evening, but no one’s words were credible or reliable.
Interrogating a merchant at the foot of Yunlan Mountain, a stomp made the merchant quiver as if he’d just wet himself. When Hua Liao questioned him, he bowed his head, said nothing, and kneeled trembling on the bluestone slab.
"Master, he told me personally that he saw Elder Yang Hua and the others ascend to the Immortal Sect yesterday evening."
The speaker was a young lad, the one Hua Liao had captured last night, the owner of a tailor shop at the foot of Yunlan Mountain.
Hua Liao coldly asked, "Are you sure?"
The young lad replied, "Yes, disciple guessed that after Elder Yang left yesterday morning, he must have gone to do other things first, then sought out the Immortal Sect. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have found anything anywhere else."
Hua Liao ignored the disciple beside him.
Looking towards the chubby middle-aged shop owner, he changed his expression and asked in an icy voice, "Did Elder Yang really ascend to the Immortal Sect in the evening, how did he go up, and when did he come down?"
"Sir, I saw Elder Yang around the hour of You yesterday. He took a group of people up the mountain. As for... when they left, I truly don’t know. By that time, I had already closed."
The tailor shop owner knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing in an attempt to verbally and physically disassociate from Kao Shan Sect; his forehead bled from knocking against the ground, yet he dared not stop.
He must feel life is more important than dignity.
Hua Liao paid no heed, merely muttering to himself, "Ascended to the Immortal Sect at the hour of You, Life Jade shattered at the hour of Xu, less than an hour apart. It seems the probability of Elder Yang having died at the Immortal Sect is greatest."
"Moyin, head to the Immortal Sect tonight and see if anything really happened. Rumor has it that Yang Lele of the Yang Family has joined the Immortal Sect. It’s very possible the Immortal Sect Leader left something extraordinary when departing. You, being at Body Refinement Level 11, don’t make the same mistake as Yang Hua, just capture someone for interrogation."
From the dark corner of the cell, a figure appeared, nodded, and like a bat, vanished into the night from the window.